Jan 11, 2022 9:02 PM
Story courtesy of International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Returning to the fields at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) (Wellington, Florida) for the second consecutive season with Beverly Polo (Bill Ballhaus, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Hilario Figueras), newly rated 7-goaler Jorge "Tolito" Fernandez Ocampo Jr. has been a player on the rise, making a statement at the 18-goal level. The 29-year-old Argentine native has seen recent success on U.S. soil as well as during the summer in Virginia with Beverly Equestrian.
Coming off an exceptional 2021 season where he helped Beverly Polo raise the Ylvisaker Cup, Ocampo Jr. showcased elite play throughout the year in both arena and outdoor polo, capturing prestigious titles such as the United States Arena Handicap®, National Arena Chairman’s Cup and National Eight Goal. However, his performance at IPC is where he warranted his handicap increase to seven goals, displaying a well-rounded ability to impact any game. Finishing the 2021 18-goal season fourth in goals with 26, Ocampo Jr. continually produced scoring chances for his team where he ranked first in both shots and throw-ins won.
Ocampo Jr. has continued his elite level of play through the first two games of 2022, beginning with the Iglehart Cup final where he was named the Most Valuable Player, scoring eight goals in Beverly Polo’s overtime victory. Quickly following that up with a second consecutive eight-goal performance his team’s opening game of the Joe Barry Memorial, Ocampo Jr.’s impact on Beverly Polo’s early season success is evident as he has been directly involved on 20 of his team’s 22 goals, collecting 16 goals and four assists.
Seen in the #3 position, Ocampo Jr.’s responsibilities extend to both ends of the field, where he has proven to be a tireless worker off the ball, while accurately running to goal when in possession. Stepping into penalty taking duties, Ocampo Jr. has added 10 penalty goals on 13 attempts to provide a consistent source of offense for Beverly Polo. Resuming his role as captain, Ocampo Jr. is at the helm of Beverly Polo’s attack and is able to draw on the chemistry from using the same line-up as last season.
After losing a hard-fought 12-11 match to La Fe in the final seconds on Sunday, Ocampo Jr. and Beverly Polo return to play on Wednesday against CK Shack, with a victory keeping their hopes alive of reaching the final.
All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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